Football (1946)

Listed in American Games, #4186. 1946, Sports, Football, Board game. This two-player football game featured a folding game board (football field), 36 play cards, a metal football, a first down marker, and wooden markers to track the down, quarter, and score. Play begins with the play cards shuffled and placed face down on the board. The player on offense calls a play from a limited menu (long pass, short pass, end run, line buck, punt, field goal), and the top card is then turned over to determine the result of the play. There is a good variety of play outcomes, including fumbles, intercepted passes, and penalties. However, the game was designed in an era when single wing formations dominated, passing was relatively rare, and offenses were often "three yards and a cloud of dust." As a result, long advances from scrimmage are rare. The longest possible gain is 41 yards on a long pass. Defense does not come into play, and the player on defense simply must hope that the player on offense fails to achieve successful play outcomes. One pass through the card deck constitutes a quarter of football. This game might have nostalgic value for those who played it as youngsters, but there are far better football games available today.